World Prematurity Day

Available Funding and Funding Priorities for Puerto Rico

Description:
Our community grants program is designed to invest in priority projects that further the March of Dimes mission, support national and state objectives, and further our strategic goal of reducing disparities in birth outcomes. We award grants based on a number of criteria, including the group or organization’s ability to accomplish its goals, as well as the potential impact a project will have in helping us prevent premature births, birth defects and infant mortality.

The current grant cycle is closed and applications are not currently being accepted in your area. Please contact us for more information.

In order to be eligible to receive a March of Dimes community grant, the
applicant must provide services in given State. The applicant organization must
be an incorporated not-for-profit 501(c)(3) or for profit organization or
government agency. The March of Dimes does not award grants to
individuals. Applicants must disclose any conflict of interest due to
representation by their organization on the chapter’s Program Services Committee
or the Chapter or Division Board of Directors.

The March of Dimes does not fund billable health care provider services. The
March of Dimes chapter community grants also do not fund scientific research
projects. For information about research grants funded by the March of Dimes
national office, please go to marchofdimes.com/research.

All grantees must (i) certify that they are not presently listed on the
Federal Excluded Party List, debarred or suspended from the award of any
federal or state contracts, or excluded from participation in any
governmental medical reimbursement programs; and must (ii) attest that they
/will comply with all laws and regulations (to include federal, state and
local laws and regulations). Additionally, March of Dimes grantees may be
screened to ensure that they are not debarred or suspended by the Federal
Government and/or local State agencies.

All chapter community grants are approved for one year only. Applicants may
choose to submit a proposal that covers a two or three year project period.
However, March of Dimes only awards funds for one year at a time
(maximum three consecutive years). Funding for years two
and three is not guaranteed and will be based upon March of Dimes review of
progress and expenditures and the availability of funds.

Multi-year project proposals must include a budget request and objectives for
the two or three year time period under consideration, as well as a copy of the
applicant's most recently audited financial statement.

Interested applicants must submit a proposal by the date listed above in the
“Application Timeline and Funding Period.” Late submissions will not be
reviewed. Proposals must:

Adhere to the “Proposal Template” listed below

Be no longer than 15 double-spaced pages (excluding Appendices); proposals
that exceed 15 pages will not be reviewed

Have a font size of 12 points or greater

Have margins of at least 1 inch on all four sides

Application text should be on one side only

If this is a second or third year request to continue your project’s March
of Dimes funding, attach your most recent grant progress and expenditure reports
(no page limitation).

Applicants must submit one hard copy original proposal application
(with original signatures in appropriate places) to the local division office by
Application deadline. Applicants should also send an electronic (email) PDF
version of the original hard copy proposal application with all components
scanned as one compressed PDF file to the local division staff person. The hard
copy application and the PDF application MUST be identical. No changes can be
made to either version once they are submitted. Do NOT fax applications. Late
applications will not be accepted.

The full proposal template can be found in Appendix A. Applicants should
answer all questions and include all components in submitted proposals.
Submitted proposal with incomplete information will not be reviewed.

Upon notification of grant award, grantee must sign the March of Dimes
chapter grant agreement. If you are interested in reviewing the March of Dimes
chapter grant agreement prior to being notified if you have received a March of
Dimes grant, contact the March of Dimes chapter.

March of Dimes grantees are required to report on project progress and
results six months into the grant agreement and at project end.

Grantees must also get written approval from the March of Dimes chapter for
any changes in project design or implementation, variance from the submitted
budget, or changes in staff overseeing the project.

One measurable objective of this project is to increase the percentage
of pregnant women enrolled who have a prenatal visit in the first trimester of
pregnancy from 40% (baseline) to 50% as measured by medical records review.

One measurable objective of this project is to decrease the percentage
of preterm births among women enrolled in the project from 18% (baseline) to
16.5% as measured by medical records review.

Outcomes are benefits to clients from participation in the program, yet are
often mistaken with program outputs or units of services such as the number of
clients who went through a program. Outcomes for March of Dimes projects are
usually in terms of changes in knowledge, behavior, or birth outcomes. To
measure outcomes, baseline data is needed for comparison with data collected
during and after project implementation. Below are sample objectives to give you
ideas for content and wording about outcomes. Please notice the references to
baseline data.

Knowledge Change - By MM/YY, 60% of program participants will
demonstrate an increase in the perinatal knowledge test as measured by
pre/post-tests. (Baseline will come from pre-test results.)

Intent to Change Behavior - By MM/YY, 80% of participants will
agree to make at least one positive behavior change as a result of attending the
prenatal classes as measured by client interviews. (Baseline will come from
intake interviews.)

Behavior Change - By MM/YY, the number of women accessing
adequate perinatal care (at least 13 prenatal visits beginning in the first
trimester of pregnancy) at XYZ Health Center will increase from 125/year
(baseline) to 150/year through the services of a Patient Navigator as measured
by a review of client records.

Change in Birth Outcome - By MM/YY, decrease the percentage of
preterm births among women enrolled in the project from 18% (baseline) to 16.5%
as measured medical records review.

Salary - grant funds may be used to cover salaries for project-related
employees, but cannot be used to pay salary costs for employees who are already
employed full-time. Exceptions may be made in circumstances where a specified
position is supported primarily by grant funds and the applicant can demonstrate
that the requested funds would replace existing grant funds.

Consultant fees.

Materials and supplies (e.g. office supplies, health-related materials,
refreshments, incentives) necessary to accomplish the specific objectives of the
proposal that are usually "used up" in the course of the project. Incentives are
items used to enable or ensure participants are able to take advantage of
services provided by grantees, for example metro or bus cards to assist women in
attending prenatal care appointments or educational sessions.

Printing and travel that are reasonable and necessary for project
implementation. March of Dimes funds may NOT be used to pay for first class
travel.

Facilities - rental costs associated with using a physical location for an
activity necessary to accomplish the specific objectives of the proposal are
permitted.

Indirect costs are allowable for grants of $25,000 or more only and cannot
exceed 10% of total costs.

Non-Allowable Costs Include:

Salary costs for staff who are already employed full-time by their
organization (see exceptions above).

Construction, alteration, maintenance of buildings or building space.

Dues for organizational membership in professional societies.

Tuition, conference fees or awards for individuals.

Cash stipends for individuals

Billable services provided by physicians or other providers.

Permanent equipment (e.g. computers, video monitors, software printers,
furniture) unless essential to project implementation and not available from
other sources.

Educational materials that do not meet the quality or evidence-based
standards provided by March of Dimes

Indirect costs for grants under $25,000.

Advertising materials and purchase of media time/space: Budget costs
relating to these items may not be allowable depending on project specifics.
Please consult with the chapter contact listed in this application regarding
whether proposed items are allowable.

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How we help The March of Dimes works to end premature birth and other problems that threaten our babies. We help moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. If something goes wrong, we offer information and comfort to families. We research the reasons why babies are born too soon or very sick and work on preventions. More